Plot Synopsis

Francis Veber’s fable La Doublure, finds the director treading new ground as he once again reinvents his fallible hero François Pignon and has written pivotal roles for three female characters. Pignon is portrayed by celebrated stand-up comedian and actor Gad Elmaleh, who recently starred opposite Audrey Tautou in Pierre Salvadori’s romantic-comedy Hors de prix.

Elmaleh’s Pignon is a simple man who is besotted with his childhood friend Émilie (Virginie Ledoyen), who he’s wanted to marry since kindergarten. Émilie has recently opened a bookshop and has found herself in debt owing the bank €32,450 and when Pignon asks her to marry him; she rejects him on the basis that he cannot financially provide for her. Pignon works as a valet at a fashionable restaurant in front of the Eiffel Tower with his roommate Richard, played by renowned stand-up comedian and actor Danny Boon who recently starred in Patrice Leconte’s successful comedy Mon meilleur ami with Daniel Auteuil.

On the other side of Paris wealthy businessman Pierre Levasseur (Daniel Auteuil) is having an affair with supermodel Elena Simonsen (Alice Taglioni) and after being photographed by the paparazzi with his mistress he finds himself front-page news. When Levasseur’s wife Christine (Kristin Scott Thomas) questions her husband about the photograph, Pierre claims the supermodel has no association with him, rather she is with the man who appears in the background of the photo. The mystery man happens to be the recently rejected Pignon.

Pierre and his lawyer Maître Foix (Richard Berry) organize for Pignon and Elena to appear as a couple to fool Christine because if she is to divorce Pierre, he will end up with nothing. Pignon agrees to be part of the charade for the exact sum of €32,450 while Elena agrees for the sum of €20,000,000, which she will return to Pierre if he divorces his wife, which is something he has been promising Elena for years.

What follows is a series of disasters in the name of love as Pignon tries to win the heart of Émilie, despite the competition of her other suitor Pascal (Patrick Mille), while Richard tries to understand why Pignon has kicked him out of the apartment and is now living with a supermodel.

Equally Pierre tries to convince his wife that he is faithful while pining for Elena and subsequently becoming jealous of Pignon, and Elena tries to come to terms with being the third party in a marriage.

This is a well crafted comedy and the film features the trademark characters of a Veber film, from the doctor (Michel Aumont) who continuously falls ill while treating other patients to Pignon’s eccentric parents (Michel Jonasz and Michèle Garcia), to the egotistical Pascal - La Doublure is filled with wonderfully odd yet realistic characters. But it is Taglioni who shines through, she is the heart of the film and equally Elmaleh’s take on the classic character of Pignon is splendid. Those familiar with Elmaleh’s stand-up will know he is an energetic and vibrant showman and his restrained yet charismatic performance as Pignon is marvellous and dignified. Boon steals the show with some great lines and a lively performance while the double act of an uninhibited Auteuil and a controlled Berry is great to watch. Kristin Scott Thomas is also elegant and impressive.

I thoroughly enjoyed Veber’s latest effort as the director continuous to go from strength to strength. Keep an eye out for the great reference to Le Dîner de Cons. La Doublure is a wonderful comedy with heart and a remarkable cast and it is not surprising to learn that the American remake is currently in pre-production.

The optional English subtitles are presented in a clear yellow Arial font. While the subtitles do give a good generalisation of the French dialogue, there was an odd incident of a reference to designer and model ‘Inès de La Fressange’ being subtitled as ‘Naomi Campbell’ (70:20).

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness

Shadow Detail

Colour

Grain/Pixelization

Film-To-Video Artefacts

Film Artefacts

Overall

Audio

There are audio two options; a French 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack and a French 2.0 Dolby Digital soundtrack and both are clear and audible.

As this is a dialogue-driven comedy, the surround sound is used sparingly.

There are no problems with audio synch.

Chuck Berry’sNo particular place to go is the main theme for the film while Alexandre Desplat’s original score is expressive and involving.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue

Audio Sync

Clicks/Pops/Dropouts

Surround Channel Use

Subwoofer

Overall

Extras

Main Menu Audio

The main menu is easy to navigate with a still image of the cover art and a selection of twelve scene selections, access to extras and set-up. The menu scored with a section of Chuck Berry’sNo particular place to go.

The following extras appeared on the French R2 Gaumont DVD release of La Doublure. All the extras have player generated English subtitles which appear automatically when the feature is selected. These subtitles which are presented in a clear yellow Arial font can be turned off if desired. Overall the subtitles do give a good generalisation of the French language interviews. All the extras are 16x9 enhanced.

The Making of La Doublure (45:23)

This feature is the main extra and it includes extensive interviews with director Francis Veber who recalls the beginnings of the Francois Pignon character and the development of La Doublure. Verber mentions that the motivation of Elena to take part in the charade was the main script problem – is she motivated by money or by love. The feature also follows Elmaleh as he physically becomes Pignon and he explains his commitment to the role and also the difficulties which plagued him. Equally Danny Boon explains the difficulty of stand-up comics becoming actors. Taglioni, Auteuil and Berry are also interviewed. The feature includes extensive behind the scenes footage demonstrating the art of comic timing and Verber’s patient and detailed directing style. Also included is behind the scene footage with Karl Lagerfeld and Kristin Scott Thomas. This is a wonderful addition to the local release. The feature is divided into 10 chapter selections.

Alice's Choice (4:38)

Alice’s choice or rather the choice of Alice includes an interview with Taglioni recalling her first days of the film interspersed with camera tests and Veber explaining why he chose Taglioni for the lead role.

Featurette on Alice Taglioni (2:02)

Site visit with the Production Designer (6:11)

From Pignon’s apartment to the creation of the shopping strip, production designer Dominique André guides us from the designing stage to the final set pieces of the impressive film sets.

The Valet's Valet (4:33)

Three of the stand-in’s are documented in this behind the scenes feature. The three individuals stand-in for the lighting and camera set-ups when the actors are away and read lines in scenes which require off-screen dialogue.

Theatrical Trailer (2:01)

The theatrical trailer is 16x9 enhanced with burnt English subtitles.

Madman Propaganda

The following trailers are preceded by a heavily compressed anti privacy warning:Le Placard (1:25,) Le Couperet (1:36), Après vous... (2:01) andLe Dîner de Cons (1:43). The trailers are not 16x9 enhanced and they can be viewed individually or as a play all feature.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view
non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually
also NTSC compatible.

The R2 release includes the same extras with the addition of a Director’s commentary. The R2 release includes an English – Hard of Hearing subtitle track for the feature film however, the extras do not feature English subtitles. The R2 menus are themed in a similar fashion to the animated opening credit sequence of the film.

Summary

Madman's DVD release of La Doublure is a quality release for English speaking audiences.